language definitions seem to be constantly changing & everything you thought they were at one time can be eradicated or changed in the future... so what is the bases of a word? How can we communicate with Aliens in the future if we can't even agree on a common ground on the definition of words amongst ourselves?
On another note... if you had to study Beowulf in English Lit classes you'll see what I mean ... the words are "English" just not the English we know.